Manager: Makhachev open to Poirier fight in June

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is willing to defend his title against Dustin Poirier this summer, according to his manager Ali Abdelaziz.

"Dustin Poirier took a huge risk tonight and came out on top and looked amazing," Abdelaziz tweeted early Sunday morning. "Dustin versus (Makhachev) in June, especially since everyone else has fights. If the UFC is good with this, then Islam would be game."

Poirier, a former interim champion and the No. 3-ranked lightweight, returned to the win column Saturday with a second-round knockout of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299. Poirier teased Sunday on X that he's also interested in a June title bout:

The top two candidates for the next title shot, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, have fights scheduled at UFC 300 in April. Oliveira will face Arman Tsarukyan in what UFC CEO Dana White called a No. 1 contender bout, and Gaethje is slated to defend the BMF title against Max Holloway.

Makhachev initially targeted a matchup with Gaethje before the Holloway fight was announced. The Russian champ was also scheduled to defend his title in a rematch with Oliveira at UFC 294 last October but instead fought Alexander Volkanovski for a second time after Oliveira withdrew from the bout due to injury.

Poirier has come up short in two bids for the undisputed 155-pound belt - in 2019 and 2021. The 35-year-old said Saturday that becoming champion is still his top priority.

"That's the only reason I'm fighting," Poirier said at the UFC 299 postfight press conference, per MMA Fighting. "I started fighting to be the world champion, to be the best in the world, undisputed. ... I've checked a lot of boxes, but there's one that's still unchecked, and that's being a world champion."